At a time when contenders want to be playing their best baseball in the sprint toward October, the Orioles continue hemorrhaging pitching and are holding on for dear life.
On Tuesday, Baltimore placed right-handed pitcher Zach Eflin on the 15-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation. Off to a fantastic start with the Orioles since being acquired days before the trade deadline, Eflin had been scheduled to start Wednesday’s series finale against the New York Mets, but lingering shoulder soreness prompted the club to shut him down in hopes of only a short-term absence.
In last Thursday’s win over Boston, the 30-year-old allowed one run and struck out a season-high eight batters in six innings, which improved his record to 4-0 with a sparkling 2.13 ERA in four starts since joining his new club. The Orioles traded minor-league pitcher Jackson Baumeister, minor-league utility player Mac Horvath, and minor-league outfielder Matthew Etzel to Tampa Bay for Eflin, who remains under contract through next season when he’s owed $18 million.
“Hopefully, it’s just short term. After his start, his shoulder was a little bit sore,” manager Brandon Hyde told reporters at Citi Field. “It had been getting better these last few days, and so we were kind of hopeful, but also a little bit concerned about it because he had to make the start tomorrow. We had him come out and throw a little bit today. We just feel like the right thing to do right now is to give him a little bit extra time with the shoulder.
“We’re optimistic that he’s going to be able to not miss much time after the IL [minimum] — if any. But yeah, it’s a big loss. He’s pitched great for us, but hopefully we’ll have him in September.”
At a time when the Orioles are without Grayson Rodriguez (right lat/teres strain) and have already lost Kyle Bradish, John Means, and Tyler Wells to season-ending elbow injuries, Eflin had pitched brilliantly to help stabilize a starting rotation that’s struggled to find consistency over the last two months. Since Bradish — the ace of the 2023 rotation — made his final start on June 14, the Orioles rank 21st in the majors with a 4.86 starter ERA. The IL move is retroactive to last Saturday, meaning Eflin is eligible to be activated as soon as Sept. 1.
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That would certainly be the best-case scenario as the Orioles also hope to welcome back Rodriguez and relievers Danny Coulombe and Jacob Webb in the coming weeks. Baltimore is also playing without All-Star infielder Jordan Westburg, who has been on the IL since fracturing his right hand on July 31.
To take Eflin’s roster spot and place in the rotation, the Orioles recalled rookie left-hander Cade Povich, but it was initially unclear who would start Wednesday’s game since Povich would be on short rest after starting against the Red Sox last Saturday. For now, Baltimore’s rotation consists of All-Star ace Corbin Burnes, Albert Suarez, Dean Kremer, Trevor Rogers, and Povich, a far cry from what Orioles fans envisioned after Burnes was acquired from Milwaukee on Feb. 1.
